Lost Identity

By Mari Ann Caudill

Maddie’s clothes are torn and covered in traces of blood when Mike finds her hiding in an alley. Her memories of murders start to reinvent themselves after her amnesia subsides. Mike searches for the truth and discovers there were murders at her childhood home, shortly before she turned up in his life. Fear starts to engulf Maddie as they drive closer to her childhood home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mari Ann Caudill
• Release date: Jul 4, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452385235

Mari Ann Caudill

Mari Ann Caudill is a self-published author of several fantasy and mystery short stories. She started self-publishing her short stories in 2010 through Smashwords. She has been on a writing hiatus for several years and recently published some flash fiction through Wattpad and on her website. Most recently she published a short story, "Destinee's Legacy." She continues to live in Kentucky with her three dogs and two cats, which keep her busy, when she is not writing.

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Lost Identity

By Mari Ann Caudill

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2018 (Revision) by Mari Ann Caudill

All Rights Reserved

Cover Design by Mari Ann Caudill

Visit my website at www.marianncaudill.com.

This short story was previously published under a pen name Mary Ann Miranda.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are fictitious or the product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, or events are purely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Lost Identity

The darkness sweeps around her as she lies on the cold ground and the rain drips from the forest trees. She must have passed out from the blow to her head. She forces herself into a sitting position, listening for movement around her. She can hear nothing but the night prowlers somewhere in the night. The faint moonlight allows little light, but she can see her shirt is ripped and bloodstains cover her hands. She spits out the iron taste and gets nauseous from the taste of blood. She gets to her feet quickly, no longer feeling safe as she remembers someone was chasing her. She grabs a wet branch for support, moving to what she thinks is north.

The morning sun escapes the horizon after hours of walking have tired her, and nothing appears to be familiar. She notices cliffs before her and climbs toward the top to find hope but sees only trees scattered for miles. Sitting down, she pulls her knees into her chest, rocking back and forth. She starts to think of what will happen if she never escapes the maze of trees. I am lost in the middle of nowhere. I have blood on my hands, and I have no idea what happened. I cannot fight this forest alone. What if I killed someone? What if someone left me here to die?

A faint train whistle interrupts her thoughts. She gets to her feet quickly, seeing a small stream of smoke a few miles away. She quickly climbs back down the cliff and heads toward the train. She walks several miles before running into a stream, where she washes the blood from her hands. A rabbit nibbles on the grass and she watches it a minute before getting to her feet to continue toward the train. Her belly growls as she sees the flat land before her. Cautiously, she climbs through a barbwire fence, scraping her shoulder.

She walks toward the tracks, seeing nothing but cows grazing in the fields, and disappointment overwhelms her. Wild horses race in the distance as the night sky has once again graced the land. She seeks shelter in a small cave for the night and hours seem to pass, when she is awakened by another train. She exits the cave, racing down the hillside toward the tracks. She grabs onto the sidecar, pulling herself up on the ledge and thanking God she was not swept under the wheels.

The sun awakens her a few hours later, as the train pulls into the rail yard and she hears church bells in the distance. She jumps from the train almost falling but gains her balance. A town stands a few yards away. She quickly runs to find the answers she seeks. A light mist of rain starts to erupt from the dark clouds.

Chapter Two

I feel torn from one world into another. It seems everything is falling